Questions & Answers about Площадь не там, а здесь.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
Russian leaves out the verb "to be" (am, is, are) in the present tense. While English says "The square is not there", Russian literally says "Square not there".
Why do we use не instead of нет here?
нет is used for the standalone word "no" or to say "there is no [something]". When you want to negate a specific fact in a sentence, like saying something is not in a certain place, you use the short particle не.
Why is не placed exactly where it is?
In Russian, the word не goes directly in front of the specific word you are negating. Since we are negating the location (it is not there), не goes right in front of там.
Why does the sentence use а for "but" instead of но?
Russian has two common words for "but". You use а when contrasting two things, especially in a "not this, but that" pattern. You use но when adding a contrasting detail (like "It is small, but nice"). Since we are directly correcting the location from "there" to "here", we must use а.
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